(Grand Rapids, MI) – Concordia baseball went on the road to face Cornerstone on Monday afternoon in critical games for WHAC conference positioning.  The Cardinals came into the game 24-11 and 8-2 in the WHAC while the Golden Eagles entered 14-8 overall and 9-3 in the WHAC.  CUAA briefly tied for the WHAC conference lead with a 6-1 win in game 1, but the Golden Eagles narrowly took the second game by a score of 7-6 despite a late comeback effort.

Game 1 – CUAA 6, CU 1

Joe Tany pitched a complete game in the first contest.  Concordia struck first in the top of the 1^st when an RBI groundout from Victor Diaz scored Adam Purdy.  The Cardinal defense turned a double play in the bottom of the 3^rd and Concordia extended their lead on the 4^th on a solo home run from Vann Acker.

Cornerstone ended the shutout with their own solo home run in the 4^th.  The Cardinals countered in the 6^th when a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by RJ Bortle drove in Caleb Chamberlain for a 3-1 lead.

Concordia turned another double play in the bottom of the 6^th and the offense added 2 more runs in the 7^th.  Grant Steinborn hit an RBI single to drive in Dylan Steinke and Chris Lowe grounded into a double play but earned the RBI on Victor Diaz scoring.

The Cardinals tacked on 1 more run in the 9^th when Chris Lowe singled to score Victor Diaz.  Joe Tany was able to secure a groundout for the last out in the 9^th, bringing home the 6-1 win.

Game 2 – CU 7, CUAA 6

Tyson Kleinfelter started game 2 on the mound, making 5 strikeouts in 4 innings.  Cornerstone scored first in the bottom of the 1^st to take an early 1-0 lead.  The Golden Eagles continued to hold the Cardinal bats in check and added 2 more runs in the 3^rd and 1 run in the 5^th for a 4-0 advantage.  Ryan Kotecki came on to pitch starting in the 5^th, notching 3 strikeouts in 3 innings.

Concordia broke the shutout in the top of the 7^th when Jimmy Wressel hit an RBI single that drove in Calvin Syrjala.  However, Cornerstone answered with a run in the 7^th to take a 5-1 lead.  RJ Bortle made a sensational catch at the wall that prevented a potential home run to end the inning and limit the damage.

Concordia continued to battle with Adam Purdy using an RBI groundout in the 8^th to score Vann Acker.   The Golden Eagles countered with a run in the bottom of the 8^th to stay ahead 6-2.

The Cardinals mounted a late comeback effort when Calvin Syrjala smashed a 3-run home run that also drove in Grant Steinborn and Victor Diaz.  Jordan Sherman then tied the game with a solo home run to knot the score 6-6, firing up the Concordia dugout even more.

Concordia looked to force extra innings, but Cornerstone quickly loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the 9^th.  While pitcher Brandon Decker induced a foulout to third base, the Golden Eagles hit a walk-off RBI single to claim the hard-fought 7-6 win.